RBWords

     History has a way of putting perspective on human endeavors that can be humbling.  What would an ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian or, in more modern times, Incan, Mayan or Aztec think of the pictures they could now see of archaeological sites representing the ruins of what they thought were divinely inspired civilizations?  It's hard for us to project that far into the future, just as it would have been for them!  The Jewish people thought that God had ordained their own geographical kingdom to last forever, and learned that the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Romans did not agree!  Prophets like Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah were ignored or persecuted, only to be shown to have been true voices of God.  Are those voices speaking to us now?

     As we celebrate today the 244th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and give thanks for those "liberties" that characterize our American multi-ethnic culture,  we are in a world-wide pandemic that is sorely trying our political and religious foundations.  As we struggle to maintain the balance between human health and economic health, our political beliefs are proving to be a challenge!!!  Our spiritual health is no exception, either!  The tenacity of our faith is what is inspiring to me right now, and I think we can celebrate God's blessing of that stubborn faith, which will see us through the pandemic.  The Holy Spirit will have to work hard - perhaps even harder with certain political leaders - to fulfill the promises enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.  Those "self-evident truths" enshrined in the Declaration need to become flesh and blood reality for a lot more people in our land.  With God's help, we can leave a much better historical record for the archaeologists of the future!  AMEN